 "Photo: Daniel Flores / The Pan American")
 "Photo: Ashlynn Biel & Jennifer Tate")
The walk to any remote parking is a scenic one, filled with empty lots, old houses and of course, illegally parked cars on grassy spaces with fines attached to their windshield wipers. All three of these things won’t be there for long if UTPA is able to complete its expansion program, replacing unsightly relics with long-awaited parking spots.
Starting in 2002, the University began acquiring significant portions of land on the north and west sides of campus, totaling about 65 homes according to Mark Saenz, assistant to the vice president of business affairs. Those 65 homes, of widely varying price and lot size, make up 85 percent of the property UTPA initially set out to buy; 350 new parking spaces were to be added in the process.
The process is a slow one though, with UTPA only purchasing when the owners of the houses are willing to sell.
“We aren’t in the business of removing people,” said Marvin Boland, director of facilities, planning and construction. “We try to give people good value for their homes.”
That process involves three separate appraisals per house, with the University offering to buy at the median price. After the house is acquired it is torn down to avoid squatters. This wasn’t always the case though, as certain UTPA faculty used to live in acquired houses. This policy, however, is no longer in place.
The future of this expansion is now in question with recent budget cuts.
“For now things are alright because certain transactions have been set for a while now,” said Saenz, who is in charge of real estate. “But we’re still waiting on new acts due the budget cuts and what our new vice president says.”
In the fall the department of business affairs will announce a new VP, with James R. Langabeer leaving the office in August. The new administrator’s decisions could have great impact on expansion.
Despite potential funding cuts for new land, many remain optimistic about future plans. In his office, Boland pointed to a football stadium behind the baseball stadium on a map of the future campus.
“It’s a long way off but you never know,” he mused.
Before any football field though, many are anticipating a scenic walk to remote parking to turn into a walk past added parking lots.
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